Climate Change Solutions

🌍 How can humanity continue to develop without destroying the foundations of life on Earth? A major new study, co-authored by the PIK - Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, charts a scientific path forward — and warns of the cost of inaction. Business-as-usual leads to ongoing deterioration in climate, biodiversity, freshwater, and nutrient cycles. But when ambitious climate policy is paired with systemic sustainability measures — like shifting to a low-meat diet, halving food waste, reforesting land, and managing water and nutrients efficiently — the damage can be halted, even reversed. By 2050, the planet can return to 2015-level conditions. By 2100, Earth systems could begin to recover significantly. 🧭 This study combines the planetary boundaries framework with integrated climate models to create a navigation system for decision-makers. At the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), we emphasize the power of climate services — turning science into actionable policy — to help countries and companies manage these risks, anticipate disruptions, and build long-term resilience. We need coordinated global action, driven by data and grounded in science. Because protecting our future means safeguarding the systems that sustain life. The tools are here. The science is clear. The time is now. https://lnkd.in/eVuR9yDu

Sustainability for SMEs 🌎 Sustainability is increasingly relevant for SMEs—not as an external add-on, but as a framework for managing risks, improving resilience, and accessing new markets. The key is to align actions with business relevance rather than abstract trends. A materiality-based approach helps focus resources on a limited set of issues with direct operational or reputational implications. Priorities vary by sector—examples include energy and waste in manufacturing, packaging and nutrition in food sectors, or data privacy in tech. Strategic integration is more effective than isolated initiatives. Existing operational routines, KPIs, and community efforts often provide a foundation for embedding sustainability without duplicating structures or increasing overhead. Business value should guide action. Low-barrier measures such as improving workplace conditions, upgrading equipment, or mapping key suppliers for ESG risks often show returns in cost reduction, risk mitigation, and employee retention. Metrics should inform decisions, not just reporting. A focused set of indicators—energy savings, supplier sourcing mix, or compliance issue closure rates—can support ongoing performance management and prioritization. Sustainability also enables access. Demonstrating credible performance can support eligibility for procurement opportunities, unlock client segments with ESG expectations, and improve employer branding in competitive labor markets. For SMEs, adaptability is essential. Starting with pilots, scaling what works, and refining the roadmap regularly allows for progress without unnecessary complexity. The objective is strategic alignment, not programmatic perfection. #sustainability #sustainable #business #esg

Congo's war isn’t just killing people—it’s tearing down forests, silencing activists, and fueling an illicit trade worth millions. The resurgence of the M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 🇨🇩 has triggered a humanitarian crisis, with millions displaced and thousands killed. Yet another casualty has received less attention: the environment. The conflict is exacerbating deforestation, undermining conservation efforts, and fueling the illicit exploitation of natural resources. The Albertine Rift, home to endangered eastern lowland and mountain gorillas, is under severe pressure. Virunga and Kahuzi-Biega National Parks—both UNESCO World Heritage Sites—have become battlegrounds. Since late 2021, M23 has taken control of towns surrounding Virunga, including Rutshuru, Rwindi, and Masisi, while in February 2025, it pushed into Kahuzi-Biega, seizing areas adjacent to the park’s highland sector. ⚠️ Deforestation in Virunga has accelerated: In 2023, 1,222 hectares of tree cover were lost in a charcoal production zone, more than double the annual average of 571 hectares from 2019-2022. ⚠️ Kahuzi-Biega’s forests are following suit: The same year, deforestation in its charcoal production zone surged to 1,171 hectares , up from 521 hectares annually over the previous four years. ⚠️ Charcoal demand is a key driver: With 800,000 displaced people arriving in Goma, the price of charcoal has spiked, shifting supply chains from Virunga to Kahuzi-Biega. Armed groups have long profited from the region’s natural wealth. The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) previously controlled much of Virunga’s charcoal trade but M23’s territorial gains have disrupted this balance. The group now levies taxes on charcoal and timber transport. In Kahuzi-Biega, illegal logging is surging, facilitated by newly constructed ports on Lake Kivu. While M23 touts itself as a pro-conservation force, its environmental record is contradictory. It has banned charcoal production in some areas while profiting from the timber trade elsewhere. Meanwhile, park rangers struggle to operate: since 1996, over 200 have been killed. Caught in the crossfire are Indigenous groups such as the Batwa, forcibly displaced by the conflict and unable to access their forests for sustenance. Activists attempting to expose illicit extraction have been silenced, some fleeing, others disappearing. The future of DRC’s forests—and those who depend on them—hangs in the balance. THE WAR 📰 NGOs flee (Elodie Toto): https://mongabay.cc/C8aqxx 📰 The environmental toll (Fergus O’Leary Simpson, Joel Masselink, Lara Collart): https://mongabay.cc/3p5AcP 📰 Toll on Indigenous people (Aimable TWAHIRWA): https://mongabay.cc/c5QGnY 📰 Key factors (John Cannon): https://mongabay.cc/ZMwBNz

🔥 Climate risks are no longer abstract—they’re disrupting businesses, communities, and economies right now. The World Economic Forum’s 2024 report, "The Cost of Inaction: A CEO Guide to Navigating Climate Risk", delivers a sobering message: ignoring climate risks isn’t just irresponsible—it’s economically devastating. 🌡️ Key insights from the report: 💥 Climate-related disasters have caused $3.6 trillion in damages since 2000, exposing critical vulnerabilities in supply chains and infrastructure. 📉 Physical risks could put 5-25% of EBITDA at risk for some sectors by 2050 under a 3°C warming trajectory. 💸 Transition risks, like carbon pricing and changing regulations, could impact 50% of EBITDA in energy-intensive industries by 2030. 🌱 Every $1 invested in climate adaptation yields $2-$19 in avoided costs, while green markets are projected to grow from $5 trillion in 2024 to $14 trillion by 2030. 💡 My reflections: 🔄 Resilience isn’t enough anymore. Too often, we focus on simply "weathering the storm" of climate risk. But true leadership is about rebuilding something better—rethinking markets, redesigning business models, and creating solutions that lead entire industries forward. 🌍 Supply chain fragility is the Achilles’ heel of the global economy. A single extreme weather event can cascade across operations, grinding everything to a halt. Climate-resilient supply chains can’t just be about survival—they must be radically adaptive, decentralized, and built to thrive under disruption. 📊 Climate risk is fundamentally redefining the concept of value. Businesses stuck chasing quarterly earnings are missing the bigger picture. In a world of rising costs and irreversible climate impacts, long-term value will belong to those who embed sustainability, resilience, and equity into their strategies. The time for cautious, incremental steps has passed. How are we using this moment to transform the way we work, innovate, and lead? #ClimateAction #Sustainability #Resilience #Leadership #Innovation

🔔 The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) just released its draft guidance on transition plans, marking a significant milestone for companies across Europe. This guidance isn’t just a framework—it’s a roadmap for action on the journey to Net Zero. Here’s why this matters: 🔹 Clear Steps for Companies: The draft emphasizes practical steps for companies to create, report, and implement credible transition plans. This will directly influence how companies integrate climate action into every level of their business strategy. 🔹 Investor-Grade Transparency: Investors are looking for transparency—and this guidance delivers. By clarifying EU expectations for transition plans, EFRAG is setting the stage for disclosures that meet rigorous, investor-grade standards. Expect greater scrutiny on targets, timelines, and accountability. 🔹 Alignment with Global Standards: @EFRAG’s guidance aligns closely with International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and UK Transition Plan Taskforce (TPT) outputs, promoting interoperability and global coherence on effective and accountable transition plans 🔹 Beyond Emissions: The guidance goes beyond emissions alone, covering risk management, financial impacts, and resilience. It encourages companies to disclose how climate risks are incorporated into financial planning and decision-making—a critical step for robust corporate resilience. Why This Matters: The draft guidance isn’t just about meeting requirements; it’s an implementation playbook for companies to future-proof themselves. 📈 As investors, policymakers, and consumers demand action, businesses must prioritize credible transition plans—or risk falling behind. 💬 What’s your take on EFRAG’s draft transition plan guidance? Will this raise the bar for transition plans across Europe? Let’s discuss! #NetZero #TransitionPlans #EFRAG #Sustainability #ClimateAction #CorporateGovernance #ESG #Finance #EU #Investing

Today’s UN figures show that this is the worst of times for many IRC clients. 120 million people have been displaced globally. This number has more than doubled over the past ten years. The figures are shocking—the human misery, even more so. Behind every number is an individual story.   Of particular concern are countries like Sudan, which topped the IRC’s Emergency Watchlist last year (see the report below). Over 9 million people, a world record, have been displaced internally; at least 1.5 million have been forced to flee the country altogether. Over 25 million people are in humanitarian need.   Sudan is also at the very heart of what is increasingly cutting the silhouette of global displacement, at the heart of IRC’s message at COP28: the convergence of conflict and climate. Frequent and intense natural disasters and extreme weather are destroying livelihoods, intensifying conflicts, exacerbating already dire humanitarian crises and uprooting people from their homes as a result. Nearly half of all displaced people are living in countries exposed to conflict and climate-related hazards. The lack of international support to states like Sudan and its neighbours—states that support the vast majority of the world’s refugees—in the form of humanitarian funding, of climate adaptation, of diplomatic muscle, of resettlement slots, means that injustice and human suffering within these communities are also growing.   With 75% of displaced people in poorer rather than richer countries, this is a moment for global responsibility. The forthcoming World Refugee Day should mark a new commitment to help people in need, not just a historic number of people in need. That calls for the private sector, NGOs, governments and multilateral organizations to work together for new solutions. That means the reinforcement of effective diplomacy and deterrence to stop and prevent conflict. It means measures to help people adapt their livelihoods and living to rising temperatures—at the moment the poorest countries get next to no investment in this. And it means addressing the tragic rise in inequality in the poorest war torn and conflict-stressed states. The innocent civilians are the victims not the cause of this, and investment in their dignity and hope is key.   Those fleeing for their lives need protection, dignity and respect. These man-made problems need equal effort in response. This is not too much to ask. https://lnkd.in/dkHqsffk

600,000,000. The amount of investment needed each week to achieve Net Zero? The number of livelihoods under threat if we don't? No, that's the number of people in Africa without access to electricity. We talk about the urgent need to transition to a low-carbon economy. Some even stress the importance of a just transition. But 600 million people in Africa have nothing to transition from. At the London Business School event on "The Road to COP28", I spoke on "Complex Climate Trade-Offs". We think that the climate challenge is so urgent that we should "Just Do It" - stop talking and start acting. But the trade-offs are real. There are social trade-offs between climate and economic development. There are financial trade-offs, as emitting companies earn higher, not lower, returns. My research (https://lnkd.in/e9QnXars) shows that this isn't due to markets correctly pricing in carbon risk, but companies getting away with emissions due to the lack of government action. These returns may ultimately go to pensioners and savers. None of this is to downplay the scale, magnitude, and urgency of the climate challenge. But it does highlight the need to recognise the trade-offs. A strategy that fails to do so will not only cause substantial social harm but also meet significant resistance. The nuances also highlight the importance of teaching climate literacy, so the future generation hears more than just black-and-white statements like "fossil fuels always bad" and "divestment always good". A video replay of "Complex Climate Trade-Offs" is at https://lnkd.in/evZTdEn9.

Batteries are a vital part of the clean energy transition. Here's why:   • They're the fastest growing clean technology on the market • They help meet climate goals & ensure energy security • They bring down emissions in power & transport   Batteries aren't just for powering your smartphone. In 2016, the energy sector accounted for around 50% of global demand for #batteries, about the same share as electronic devices. By 2023, energy's share had risen above 90% - in a market 10 times the size. More in the International Energy Agency (IEA) Energy Agency’s new report → https://iea.li/3WeYRbv   Thanks to the rapid decline of battery costs – 90% since 2010 – they're speeding up opportunities to cut emissions in road transport & electricity. In 2023, electric car sales rose to a record of almost 14 million. Battery storage deployment in the power sector more than doubled.   Batteries are a game-changer. IEA’s analysis shows utility-scale batteries paired with solar PV are already competitive with new coal plants in some countries like India. In just the next few years, batteries & #solar will be cheaper than new natural gas plants in the US & new coal in China.   Reaching energy & climate targets hinges on whether batteries scale up fast enough. More than half the job that we need to do on cutting emissions will rely on batteries. Energy storage, led by batteries, will need to increase sixfold by 2030 to help meet the goals set at #COP28.   Battery manufacturing capacity has more than tripled in the last 3 years. And completing all announced projects would be sufficient to meet demand to 2030 in a 1.5C-aligned pathway. But manufacturing remains too concentrated in only a few countries, creating supply chains risks.   Ensuring sufficient critical mineral supplies will be key to scaling up batteries quickly. New supply investments & demand-side measures could help address these issues. Recycling, size adjustments & innovation in battery chemistries could cut mineral consumption by 25% in 2030.   To learn more about IEA’s new Special Report on Batteries & Secure Energy Transitions, read the full report, available online → https://iea.li/3Ud24px   And join lead authors Laura Cozzi, Brent Wanner & me for the LIVE launch event from 11:00 CEST → https://iea.li/49Mmxaw

📣 Breaking Down Capital Structure in #ClimateTech Startups Understanding the capital structure in climate tech #startups, particularly those hardware-based, can differ greatly from digital startups. 👇 Hers’s an illustration of the evolution of capital types over time - equity, grants, and debt - with actual 💶 figures. Key takeaway: The name of the game is Non-Dilutive Capital ⭐ 1️⃣ Embrace Non-Dilutive Capital: Scaling with equity alone is a non-starter. There's insufficient climate-dedicated VC money out there and it's far from the most efficient way to finance CAPEX due to ownership dilution and the Cost of Equity. 2️⃣ Optimise Timing: With careful planning, each funding round can be delayed, allowing your company value to mature by achieving higher TRLs. Leverage grants wisely and delay equity funding rounds. 3️⃣ Strike a Balance with Grants: While grants are attractive, an overdose can divert you from your main focus of selling products and turn you into an R&D centre. Exercise caution! 4️⃣ Consider Debt Early: It's rocket fuel for growth. Proper measures can ensure you secure it even before hitting TRL9. 💡Tips for Raising Non-Dilutive Capital: General: - Begin early, it takes time - Build a solid funnel (4:1 ratio is a good rule) - Engage experts, it saves time and ups your chances Grants: - Be prepared to have some fresh equity to unlock certain grants - Participate in competitions - every sum counts and it's free exposure! Debt: - Sign off-takes to significantly boost your chances - Get in touch with your regional bank - they look at more than just ROI. It's time to rethink and redesign your capital strategy! #venturecapital #funding #innovation

NEW RESEARCH - WHY THE ENERGY TRANSITION IS DISRUPTIVE & COULD BE MUCH FASTER THAN WE THINK: The clean energy transition isn’t just about swapping out old tech for new—it’s a complex, non-linear process full of feedback loops, tipping points, and unexpected consequences. Our new “Systems Archetypes of the Energy Transition” brief is a must-read for anyone shaping policy, investing, or innovating in this space. Key takeaways: 1) Feedback loops drive change: Reinforcing loops (like learning-by-doing and economies of scale) have made solar, wind, and batteries cheaper and more widespread, often outpacing even the boldest forecasts. 2) Path dependence is real: Early advantages for a technology (think BEVs vs. hydrogen cars) can snowball into market dominance, making policy choices and timing critical. 3) Limits and synergies: As renewables grow, market dynamics like “cannibalisation” can dampen investment—unless we design markets and storage solutions to keep the momentum going. 4) Policy design is everything: Well-intentioned fixes (like price caps or broad subsidies) can backfire, while smart, targeted interventions can unlock positive feedbacks across sectors. 5) Tipping points and decline: The decline of fossil fuels isn’t just a mirror image of clean tech growth—it comes with its own feedbacks, risks, and opportunities for a just transition. The brief also offers practical guidance on using causal loop diagrams and participatory systems mapping—powerful tools for understanding and managing the complexity of the transition. If you’re working on energy, climate, or innovation policy, I highly recommend giving this a read. Let’s move beyond linear thinking and embrace the systems view—because the future will be shaped by those who understand the dynamics beneath the surface. This briefing was led by Simon Sharpe at S-Curve Economics CIC, Max Collett 柯墨, Pete Barbrook-Johnson, me at Environmental Change Institute (ECI), University of Oxford & Oriel College, Oxford & the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) and Michael Grubb at UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources.